Mamata Banerjee Shuns Responsibility Towards Panchayat Poll Violence at July 21 Rally

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in her customary address at the annual Martyrs’ Day rally on July 21, finally addressed the recent violent panchayat polls in West Bengal. 

However, instead of taking accountability, she claimed that reducing the amount of violence in panchayat elections is very difficult and clarified that she did not initiate the three-tier Panchayati system politics and its voting process; she is only carrying on the legacy of the former CPI(M) government. 

She also downplayed the number of deaths, which is 54 according to the official version, and pegged the toll at 29. Banerjee said that out of the 29 deceased, 18 are from her party, three are from the CPI(M), and three are from the BJP. Regarding the Bhangore fiasco, which left nearly eight dead, she said there are “sharks” in Bhangore, who are responsible for the violence. It is not known who she was referring to, even though several of her party cadres from the neighbouring Canning Assembly constituency reportedly entered Bhangore on the polling day to allegedly stir trouble. 

The chief minister also retorted that the voting process in the panchayat elections has been terror-free, barring two or three incidents. 

She also observed a minute’s silence on the atrocities that have taken place in Manipur. She said, “We plan to send a team of chief ministers to Manipur on behalf of INDIA (the opposition alliance) ... I have spoken to Arvind (Kejriwal)... We will settle this matter with other leaders soon.”

Banerjee held Prime Minister Narendra Modi responsible for insulting Bengal and expressed apprehension that she or any of her close associates might be arrested after the July 21 programme. At one point, she also said, referring to PM Modi, that her current speech was given as the chief of her party Trinamool Congress and not as the Chief Minister of West Bengal. 

Last year, after the same programme, TMC Secretary General Partha Chatterjee was arrested in an education scam, and he remains behind bars. 

“Modiji, what have you not done to insult Bengal? You can insult as much as you want, it doesn’t affect me but don’t arrange private tea parties and insult our leaders,” Banerjee said, taking a dig at PM Modi.

She also said, “I am sorry for the violence which took place... The death toll was much higher during the CPIM era. 29 people died in the (latest) rural polls, and 18 among them were TMC workers. Who killed them? Did Trinamool kill Trinamool? We will compensate all victims irrespective of party colour... We don’t differentiate.”

In the meeting, she permitted her nephew Abhishek Banerjee to hold a Gherao programme for all houses of block-level BJP leaders on August 5. She added, “I will ask our workers to conduct the August 5 Gherao programme 100 metres away from the BJP leaders’ homes... We should hold this programme at block levels, not booth levels.”

She further announced, “I am pleased to be able to form an inclusive alliance called INDIA... Henceforth, all fights against the BJP will be fought under the banner of INDIA... ‘Bharat jitega’, that’s our slogan. The BJP has crossed all levels of tolerance.”

Referring to pending central funds to the state, she declared, “If we don’t get our pending money from Delhi, then we will march to Delhi on Gandhi’s birth anniversary on October 2.”

The Bengal CM raised a question saying, “What happened to the BJP’s slogan of ‘Beti Bachao’? Today women are raped and burnt, their dignity snatched, and, like in cases of Bilkis Bano, their justice denied.”

Continuing on this, She expressed her solidarity with the people of Manipur, saying, “We want to tell the people of Manipur that INDIA stands with you.”